Guide (film)
| Guide | |
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 Film poster |
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| Directed by | Vijay Anand |
| Produced by | Dev Anand |
| Written by | Vijay Anand R. K. Narayan (novel) |
| Starring | Dev Anand Waheeda Rehman Leela Chitnis |
| Music by | S. D. Burman |
| Cinematography | Fali Mistry |
| Editing by | Vijay Anand Babu Sheikh |
| Release date(s) | 6 February 1965 |
| Running time | 183 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Guide is a 1965 Hindi film starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. It was directed by Vijay Anand, who also contributed to the screenplay. The film is based on the critically acclaimed novel, The Guide, by R. K. Narayan, and is widely considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Indian film industry.[1]
The film proved to be a box office hit upon release.[2] This movie proved memorable for its award-winning performances by the lead actors and memorable music by S. D. Burman.
A 120-minute U.S. version was made with additional directing and writing. It was produced by Tad Danielewski.[3] The film was screened at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, 42 years after its release.
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[edit] Plot
Dev Anand stars as Raju, a freelance guide, who earns his living by taking tourists to historic sites. The movies starts with Raju being released from jail, and then the story runs in flashback. One day, a wealthy and aging archaeologist Marco comes to the city with his young wife Rosie (Waheeda Rehman) the daughter of a courtesan. Marco wants to do some research on the caves outside the city and hires Raju as his guide. He discovers a new cave and ignores Rosie.
While Marco devotes himself to the discovery of the cave, Raju takes Rosie on a tour and appreciates her dancing ability and innocence. Raju learns about Rosie's background as a daughter of a prostitute and how Rosie has achieved respectability as the wife of Marco but at a terrible cost. She has had to give up her passion of dancing since it is unacceptable to Marco. Meanwhile, Rosie tries to commit suicide by consuming poison. Marco, upon knowing the incidence returns from the caves to see Rosie and gets furious on Rosie after seeing her alive. He tells Rosie that her act of committing suicide was a drama, otherwise she would have consumed more sleeping pills so that she could really have died. On returning to Caves which were discovered, Rosie learns that Marco is spending time and enjoying the company of a native tribal girl. Rosie is mad at Marco and both indulge in a serious heated discussion and then Rosie leaves the caves, and again wants to end her life. But Raju calms her by saying that committing suicide is a sin, and that she should live to pursue her dream. She finally says good-bye to the relation of being the wife of Marco. But now she needs support and a place to live. It is here that Raju takes her to his home.
Rosie is considered a prostitute too, by Raju's community( as classical dancing traditionally was related with prostitute at Royal court) which leads to many problems including his mother and her brother insisting that Rosie be kicked out. Raju refuses and his mother leaves him. His friend and driver also falls out with him over Rosie. Raju loses his business and the entire town turns against him. Undeterred by these setbacks, Raju helps Rosie embark on a singing and dancing career and Rosie becomes a star. As she rises as a star, Raju becomes dissolute—gambling and drinking. Marco comes back on the scene. Trying to win Rosie back, he brings flowers and has his agent ask Rosie to release some jewelry which is in a safe deposit box. Raju, a bit jealous, does not want Marco to have contact with Rosie and forges Rosie's name on the release of the jewels.Meanwhile Rosie and Raju drift apart due to Rosie's incomprehensible behaviour when she tortures Raju by not obliging him a caring hug even and asks him to leave her room else she says she will have to go out. Before this they also had a discussion about how a man should live when Rosie remembers Marco and tells Raju that Marco was probably correct when he used to say that a Man should not live on a woman's earnings.Raju retorts by saying that she is under a misunderstanding that she has become a star on her own and this was Raju's efforts which has helped her a lot in becoming a star. Then later Rosie learns of the forgery release. Raju is convicted of forgery, resulting in a two year sentence. Rosie does not understand why Raju indulged in forgery. It was not money, it was the loving fascination for Rosie which urged Raju not to reveal Marco's visit to Rosie so that she doesn't remember him again and to eliminate the probability of Rosie and Marco's togetherness, if at all, there was any little chance even. On the day of his release, his mother and Rosie come to pick him up but they are told that he was released six months ago because of his good behaviour.
Upon his release Raju wanders alone. Despair, poverty, rags, hunger, loneliness engulf him until he finds a wandering group of sadhus(holy men) with whom he spends a night at a derelict temple in a small town. He sleeps and one of the itinerant holy men places a shawl upon him while he sleeps. The holy men leave. The next morning, a farmer (Bhola) finds Raju sleeping under the orange shawl. Bhola thinks Raju is a holy man. Bhola is having a problem with his sister because she refuses to marry. Raju impresses upon the woman the logic in taking a husband and she submits, which convinces Bhola that Raju is a swami (holy man). Impressed by this Bhola spreads the news through village. Raju is taken as the holy man for the village. The farmers bring gifts for him and start consulting him with their problems. Raju assumes the role of village holy man (Swami Ji) and engages in skirmishes with the local pandits. In telling a childhood story, Raju speaks of a holy man whose 12 day fast resulted in God's bringing rain to end a drought.
A drought and ensuing famine hit the region hard. Through miscommunication of a village fool, Raju's (Swami Ji) words are interpreted by villagers that he will fast for 12 days to end the drought. He finds himself trapped by villagers' belief. At first Raju opposes the idea, going as far as telling Bhola that he is just a human like any one of them and even worse a convict who has undergone trial and served a jail sentence over a woman. But even the confession was not enough for the villagers to give up on their belief who quote the story of dacoit Ratnakar who became Valmiki. He reluctantly begins the fast, although he does not believe that there is any relation between a man's hunger and rain. With the fast, Raju undergoes a spiritual transformation. As the fast goes on, his fame spreads. People by the thousands come to see him and take his blessings. An American journalist asks him whether he truly believes that his fast would bring rain, he smiles and says "These people have faith in me, and I have faith in their faith". Upon hearing his fame Rosie pays him a visit, so does his mother and his friend Gaffoor, who is Muslim .Bhola does not allow him to enter the temple on the grounds that he is of a different religion. Raju comes out and asks Bhola what is his religion. He tells Bhola that humanity,love and helping the others is his religion. Then Bhola begs excuse and sees them hugging each other sentimentally and his eyes becomes wet. Raju understands that He now has everything he has lost a long time back. His health starts falling, and he thinks about the meaning of his life. On one side there is Rosie, his Mother and a chance to get back to his past life and on the other side there is a noble cause to fast and hope for the rain. He gets enlightened by the concept that his past sins are washed away by his anguish and the Guide Raju he knew has died. And now the only thing that remains is the spiritual Raju, which is indestructible. He is reconciled with his mother, Rosie and the driver during his ordeal. He transcends this life. Amidst thunder clap and heavy downpour, his soul departs this earth while the crowd rejoices and his beloveds cry. The climax also teaches the Bhagavad Gita's principles: "Man does not die it is only body which dies. Soul remains for ever."
[edit] Production
Dev Anand was approached by American director Tad Danielewski and Pearl Buck to be cast in an American film based on a novel by an Indian author. Although Dev Anand had refused, he took up the opportunity for a collaboration when he met Tad again at the 1962 Berlin Film Festival. Somebody suggested The Guide. Dev Anand purchased the book and read it at one go. He called up Pearl who invited him to the United States to discuss on the project. With their approval, he called up R. K. Narayan and procured the rights to the book.[4]
The movie was planned to be an Indo-American co-production to be shot simultaneously in Hindi and English. The idea was to film the scenes common to both versions simultaneously. Pearl tutored Waheeda Rehman on her diction for the English part. But because of differences of opinion between the two production teams, Dev Anand postponed the Hindi version, thereby freeing Chetan Anand to direct Haqeeqat which was later highly acclaimed. It also became an opportunity for Vijay Anand who stepped in, as the film proved a landmark for him.[5]
[edit] Cast
- Dev Anand as Raju
- Waheeda Rehman as Rosie Marco / Miss Nalini
- Leela Chitnis as Raju's Mother
- Kishore Sahu as Marco
- Gajanan Jagirdar as Bhola
- Anwar Hussain as Gaffoor
- Ulhas as Raju's Maternal Uncle
- Krishan Dhawan as Inspector Girdhari
[edit] Music
The music for this film was composed by Sachin Dev Burman, the songs were written by Shailendra and the songs were sung by Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey and Sachin Dev Burman. The soundtrack was listed by Planet Bollywood as number 11 on their list of 100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks.[6]
| Song | Singer(s) | Picturised on |
|---|---|---|
| "Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna" | Lata Mangeshkar | Dev Anand & Waheeda Rehman |
| "Din Dhal Jaaye" | Mohammed Rafi | Dev Anand & Waheeda Rehman |
| "Gaata Rahe Mera Dil" | Kishore Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar | Dev Anand & Waheeda Rehman |
| "Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya" | Mohammed Rafi | Dev Anand & Waheeda Rehman |
| "Piya Tose Naina Laage Re" | Lata Mangeshkar | Waheeda Rehman |
| "Saiyaan Beimaan" | Lata Mangeshkar | Dev Anand & Waheeda Rehman |
| "Tere Mere Sapne" | Mohammed Rafi | Dev Anand & Waheeda Rehman |
| "Wahan Kaun Hai Tera" | Sachin Dev Burman | Dev Anand |
| "He Ram Hamare Ramchandra" | Manna Dey & Chorus | Dev Anand |
| "Allah Megh De Paani De" | Sachin Dev Burman | Dev Anand |
[edit] Awards
The film was selected as the Indian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 38th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[7] Guide was also first film to win all four of the major awards (Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress) at the Filmfare awards.
[edit] Won
- Filmfare Best Movie Award - Dev Anand
- Filmfare Best Director Award - Vijay Anand
- Filmfare Best Actor Award - Dev Anand
- Filmfare Best Actress Award - Waheeda Rehman
- Filmfare Best Story Award - R. K. Narayan
- Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award - Fali Mistry
- Filmfare Best Dialogue Award - Vijay Anand
[edit] Nominations
- Filmfare Best Music Director Award - Sachin Dev Burman
- Filmfare Best Female Playback Award - Lata Mangeshkar
[edit] Interesting facts
- The climax of this iconic film was shot in Limdi town, 90 km from Ahmedabad[8]. Apparently, Chetan Anand taught English in Limdi during 1941.
- Towards the end of the film, there’s a scene where a foreign journalist arrives to interview Raju (Dev’s character in the movie) after he becomes an ascetic. Dev wanted a young, good-looking foreigner for the role. So, he asked an associate to get one in five hours! The associate rushed to Ahmedabad. Walking down a road, he spotted a tall, well built foreigner. He went up to him and bluntly asked: ‘Do you have a good-looking wife?’ He glared at him. Realizing his blunder, he clarified that the unit were looking for a foreigner to feature in an Indian movie. The couple agreed, and drove them back to Limdi for the shoot [9].
[edit] Differences from the novel
In the film, Raju meets a celebrity death surrounded by his near and dear ones and the media with rain ending the drought in the village. However, in the novel, this event is anonymous with an unclear ending about his death or the end of the drought.
[edit] See also
- List of submissions to the 38th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
[edit] References
- ^ "rediff.com - Guide; a human odyssey". http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/18dinesh.htm.
- ^ "BoxOfficeIndia Top Earners 1960-1969 (Figures in Ind Rs)". http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=123&catName=MTk2MC0xOTY5.
- ^ "Tad Danielewski Filmography". Fandango.com. 1921-03-29. http://www.fandango.com/taddanielewski/filmography/p119511. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
- ^ Anand, Dev (2007). Romancing with Life - an autobiograhpy. Penguin Viking. pp. 182–184. ISBN 0-67008-124-8.
- ^ Anand, Dev (2007). Romancing with Life - an autobiograhpy. Penguin Viking. pp. 186–187. ISBN 0-67008-124-8.
- ^ "100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks Ever - Part 4". Planet Bollywood. http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=s022608074151. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
- ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^ http://www.punemirror.in/article/4/2011120620111206003414189ad50c0ad/%E2%80%98We-hunted-for-a-firang-for-Dev-sahab-in-5-hrs%E2%80%99.html
- ^ http://www.punemirror.in/article/4/2011120620111206003414189ad50c0ad/%E2%80%98We-hunted-for-a-firang-for-Dev-sahab-in-5-hrs%E2%80%99.html
[edit] External links
- Guide at the Internet Movie Database
- Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films - Indiatimes movies
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